Nice piece in the New York Times about Deliverance’s 40th anniversary. I had the pleasure of interviewing James Dickey in the late ’80s when I was reviewing his novel Alnilam. Fascinating guy.
Deliverance is one of the few movies I’ve seen that rivals the intensity of the book, though I still vastly prefer the novel. Might be because Dickey wrote the screenplay for the movie. I remember talking to Dickey about the music in Deliverance. At the time, he was having major health problems, and we talked about his stubborn insistence on not going “gentle into that good night,” which now seems odd given his dislike of Dylan Thomas. I’m also a major fan of his poetry.
Do yourself a favor. Pick up a copy of Deliverance and re-read it. Or discover it new. And then pick up a copy of Buckdancer’s Choice to sample his poetry. Despite his many flaws, Dickey was a literary giant in my eyes.
